Conti claims breakthrough with large-scale production of rPET-based tires

Hanover, Germany – Continental has claimed a ‘world-first’ with the launch of volume production of passenger car tires using waste polyethylene terephthalate (PET).

The new ContiRe.Tex technology uses recycled polyester yarn obtained from post-consumer PET plastic bottles and “completely replaces the conventional polyester in a tire carcass,” said Conti 5 April.

A set of standard tires, for instance, feature around 40 recycled PET bottles.

The high-performance material is first being used in selected sizes for Continental’s PremiumContact 6 and EcoContact 6 summer tires.

Continental said it unveiled the ContiRe.Tex in September last year and brought the technology to production stage within 8 months.

The process uses polyester yarn, which is obtained from used PET bottles “without any intermediate chemical steps and not recycled in any other way.”

As part of a special recycling process, the bottles are sorted and mechanically cleaned, after the caps are removed.

After mechanical shredding, the PET is further processed into granulate and finally spun polyester yarn.

“We only use high-performance materials in our premium tires.

"From now on, these will include polyester yarn from PET bottles, made in a particularly efficient recycling process,” said Ferdinand Hoyos, head of EMEA tire replacement business.

All tires with ContiRe.Tex technology are currently produced at Continental’s tire plant in Lousado, Portugal and come with a special logo on the sidewall.